Christiaan Punter of Hifi Advice had the privilege of doing the first ‘extensive listening period’ PA1 review. The amplifiers found their place in his setup and since he felt no reason to switch back to his reference amplifiers, they just stayed there for a few weeks. And then it happened. At the end of the review period Christiaan sat down to compare the PA1s with his reference system and to his surprise “the PA1s were actually nimbler, more immediate, and more communicative. (…) They excel in the area I find most important: letting the music speak for itself.”.
Christiaan became so enthusiastic about the PA1s that he offered them his “HFA Favorite” award and decided to buy them… We copy some excerpts of his review below, but please make sure to read the full text at Christiaan’s Hifi Advice website.
“The PA1s sound relaxed and unhurried, but definitely not slow or thick. They are highly lyrical and engaging, very articulate, nimble, and dynamically expressive. They can be incredibly fast, but only if the music requires it. They don’t always sound fast, which can translate to a dry or staccato rendition or shortened decay. Impressively, despite their communicative nature, they never shout or try to impress. Instead, these amplifiers disappear altogether, and you simply forget about them. And that is the highest praise I can give an amplifier. The PA1s aren’t cheap, but I can honestly say nothing in that price range comes close.”
After testing the PA1’s in his own room, Christiaan visited a PA1 product introduction at our Hilversum dealer Listening Matters. He writes:
“The common thread during this evening: everything sounded superb. Without fail, the soul of the music shone through. Wilson speakers have a distinctive, recognizable sound, and the Sabrina Vs did all the things Wilsons always do well, but this time, there was something extra. I’d swear I haven’t heard any recent Wilson models sound this agile, expressive, heart-touchingly communicative, and free-flowing.
Track after track, this session reinforced what I heard while reviewing these fantastic amplifiers, and it hammered home what I had already decided: the Grimm PA1s “simply” get out of the way and let the music do the talking.
(…)
Don’t underestimate these unassuming, “cute” amplifiers. They’re not just great value; they set a standard for transistor amplification that very few achieve and most can only strive for.
What they do may sound simple, but it’s remarkably difficult to achieve: they reproduce music without imposing any character of their own—whether transistor or tube—and let the music speak for itself. And while they don’t punish bad recordings, they certainly also don’t sweeten the sound to make it more palatable. Instead, their distortion is so low that they become, in effect, invisible. You simply forget about them as the music itself takes over. And that is the highest praise I can give an amplifier.
I like them so much that I told Eelco I didn’t want to return the review pair. Alas, this particular pair was already destined for other reviewers, but I’ll add them to the system as soon as another pair is available!”
“These amplifiers disappear altogether, and you simply forget about them. And that is the highest praise I can give an amplifier.” – Christiaan Punter, Hifi Advice, The Netherlands
